Original subtitles

[ Man Yelling In Spanish ]

[ Yelling In Spanish Continues ]

[ Screaming ]

[ Sirens Wailing ]

Happy...

Thanksgiving! [ Cheering ]

Get 'em here.

[ Woman ] Bumpy, let me get one!

Here! [ Man ] Right here!

[ Man #2 ] I need a bird, Bumpy! [ Woman #2 ] Bumpy!

- Bumpy! - Here you go, darlin'!

Frank, come. Come here.

[ Bumpy ] This is the problem.

This is what's wrong with America.

It's gotten so big, you just can't find your way.

The grocery store on the corner is now a supermarket.

The candy store is McDonald's.

And this place-- a super-fuckin' discount store.

Where's the pride of ownership?

Huh?

Where's the personal service?

[ Chuckles ]

Thanks.

You see what I mean? Shit.

I mean, what right do they have...

of cutting out the suppliers?

Pushing out all the middlemen.

Buying direct from the manufacturer.

[ Chuckles ] Sony this,

Toshiba that.

All them Chinks putting Americans out of work.

[ Man On TV ] He had plans to take place in Quâng Tri Province.

Uh, from Laos--

That's the way it is now.

You all right?

You can't find the heart of anything...

to stick the knife.

Hey! Anybody here?

Can I help you? Call an ambulance.

Forget it, Frank.

There's no one in charge.

[ Grunting ]

Call an ambulance!

[ Man ] Some say Bumpy Johnson was a great man.

According to eulogies, a giving man, a man of the people.

No one chose to use in their remembrances...

the word most often associated with Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson-- gangster--

whose passing has brought a who's who of mourners on this chilly afternoon.

The K.C. mob boss Dominic Cattano,

Harlem crime figure Nicky Barnes. What's happenin'?

From the political arena, the governor's come down.

The mayor of New York, the chief of police and commissioner,

sports and entertainment luminaries.

Bumpy Johnson, age 62 when he passed,

was a folk hero among Harlem locals for over four decades.

Regarded by some as the Robin Hood of Harlem,

by others as a ruthless criminal.

[ Man ] I don't understand it.

I would have thought that Bumpy would've put out a better spread than that.

Want something? Hungry? No.

I want chicken wings at my funeral.

Who is that? He didn't know what hit him. You know what I'm sayin'?

I just kept poppin' him in the face, 'cause that's how I do.

[ Woman Laughing ]

Mm.

Don't have a light. You know what I mean?

Oh. Mm. Oh.

Mm.

Okay. Well, that's very good.

Hey, Frank.

Go get me a light while you're at it.

Appreciate it.

Don Cattano.

Hey. How you doing, Rossi? You doing all right? Good.

[ Bartender ] Would you like a drink, sir? Give me a scotch on the rocks.

[ Lips Smacking ] Come on.

Come on.

Uh, I know you're hurting, Frank.

So am I.

I'm all right.

You gonna be all right? Yeah.

I'm sure Bumpy didn't say anything to you,

but he made me promise that if anything ever happened to him...

that I should make sure that you want for nothing.

I appreciate that.

Half the people in this room owed Bumpy money when he died.

They think I'm gonna forget to collect, but I'm gonna get that money.

Well, that's the spirit. Go get 'em.

[ Man ] Mr. Roberts.

Taking the prosecution's side, give us U.S. v. Meade.

Subject, issues, what the determination was...

and what it means to us today.

Class, you'll be critiquing Mr. Roberts, so pay attention.

[ Roberts ] I hate hearing my name called. You know?

I gotta get up in front of the class.

I got to turn around.

And I know every one of those people there, they know more than I do.

The number-one fear of people-- It ain't dying.

It's public speaking. I get physically ill. I wanna throw up.

And that's what you wanna do for a living.

Hell, I don't wanna be like that, man. I wanna beat it.

So should I do this? No. He'll take it from me.

He knows me. I've known him since high school.

From high school? Good morning.

Here. If he doesn't take it, just throw it in. That's good service.

Throw it in? Yeah.

All right.

What's up, Susie? Hey, Jay.

How you doin', baby? All right.

All right. Ready?

[ Man On Stereo ] * Well, let's do it in the road *

[ Dog Barking ]

* I said, we can do it in the road *

* Oh, let's do it in the road *

[ Screams ]

* Why can't we do it in the road? *

You... are... supposed to... be my friend, asshole! [ Yelling ]

[ Man ] I swear to God, Richie. I didn't know it was you.

I would never slam a door on your hand knowingly.

You bit my fuckin' hand.

What are you doin' servin' subpoenas anyway?

[ Man #2 ] We're on loan to county. County?

How's that workin' out for you? Hey, fuck you.

Hey, I'm sorry. I-- Consider me served.

Can we-- Can we-- Can we leave it there?

Assault on a police officer? I don't think so.

Hey, for old times' sake. What can we do?

What do you want? What can I give you?

What do you get for assault with a deadly weapon, Jay?

- Five years minimum. - [ Roberts ] Five years.

No, guys. Come on, no. Guys, what do you wa-- Who do you want?

- Who do you got? - You want-- You want Big Al's bookie?

You want his accountant? I'll give him to you.

[ Police Radio Chatter ]

[ Man ] No, stop, stop, stop. Stop.

There he is.

That's him. That's the bookie.

[ Roberts ] All right, Carlo, get lost.

What, right here? This is-- Yeah, right here. Get out of the car.

I'd rather not. Come on.

Let's go.

Take it ease.

We gonna stay with him or the car?

Well, let's see who comes for the car.

Think he made us?

You called in the warrants, right? So where are they?

I just called, man.

I called and walked back here, and 10 seconds has gone by.

I saw him with the slips, Jay.

You saw policy slips? You saw grocery bags.

You don't know what's in 'em. Yes, I do, and so do you.

Don't give me that bull. What's the rush, Richie?

Half an hour, the warrant'll be here. I got night school, all right?

Guess you're gonna miss it.

Ahh.

Fuck this. Come on. Are you sure?

Yeah. I'm sure. Let's go.

Fuck.

Jay. Yeah.

Fuck.

[ Man On Radio ] WBZ, honey bunch.

And love is the groovy sound of the Jefferson Kaye Saturday night show.

Dig, honey. It's coming up time for news.

Jumpin' up and seein' the wallpaper peelin' on WBZ.

Stick around. The J. man's got 10 back in 10.

** [ Funk ] [ Radio Off ]

It's not just a couple of bucks, all right?

It's the same thing, in principle.

Oh, what, we talkin' principles?

Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing.

He turns in cops who take money.

We'll be fuckin' pariahs.

- Yeah, well, then we're fucked both ways. - Not if we keep it.

Only if we don't, then you're right. We're fucked.

But not if we keep it.

Goddamn it, man. Did we ask for this?

Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, "Give us your money"?

Cops kill cops they can't trust.

We can't turn it in, man.

Do you believe that?

How much is it?

$987,000.

Well, what happened to the rest of it? [ Chuckles ]

What the hell are you doing counting it in front of everybody? You nuts?

Get it in the bags, seal 'em and down to the property room.

You fuckin' Boy Scout.

What?

What?

[ Knocking ]

Detective Trupo, sign here.

[ Trupo ] You guys ready to make a lot of fuckin' money?

[ Man ] Always. [ Man #2 ] Hell, yeah. [ Trupo ] Fuckin' A.

[ Man #1 ] Whoa! [ Trupo ] Whoa.

[ Man #3 ] Look at this.

[ Trupo ] There you go. All right.

Look at this. [ Man #2 ] Fuckin' beautiful.

There's three more votes.

- Hey. Don't lose any of that shit. - [ Man #1 ] I know.

- [ Trupo ] All right? Be careful. - [ Man #2 ] All right.

Hey. Just enough for the reagent test.

A little less.

[ Rossi Narrating ] That's just the French Connection dope.

Kilos of the same dope Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso took from us.

The cops seize it, arrest everyone,

and they start taking it out of the evidence room,

whacking it down to nothing and selling it back to us.

They basically control the market with it.

Well, Mr. Rossi, I have a surprise for you.

They've been doing this for years.

They live off it-- our dope. What do you think?

What the fuck is happening to the world, Frank?

Fuckin' crooks.

Yeah. Sad about Bumpy.

Things are never gonna be the same in Harlem.

You walk down the street, nobody bothers you...

'cause Bumpy was making sure of it.

Half a key.

How is your day now?

It's chaos. Every gorilla for hisself.

Who can live like that?

There has to be order. That would never happen with Italians.

More important than any one man's life is order.

Frank.

Hey. Come on in, Claude. Sit down.

How y'all doin', huh? Yeah.

So, you seen Nate over there?

[ Claude ] Yeah, all the time.

Nate is everywhere. Yeah?

It's good. He's still over there?

Yeah. Got him-- Got himself a club now. Okay.

Whereabouts? Saigon?

Bangkok. Bangkok?

I don't think he's ever comin' home.

Come on.

[ Woman ] Taste this for me. [ Man ] Okay, okay, okay.

On the house. For our boys in uniform.

[ Claude ] Thank you, sugar. That's very kind.

Thank Frank. Thanks, Frank.

Just relax.

You're gonna have to boot this shit a couple of times.

The cops keep cuttin' it, sellin' the shit.

I don't wanna say anything 'cause the price is right.

But that shit in Nam...

is way,

way heavy.

[ Man On Radio ] * Only the strong survive *

* Yeah, you gotta be a man You gotta take a stand *

What, you ain't see the jar, Frank?

Hmm? I think you walked right past it.

The money jar, Frank. What I gotta do, put a fuckin' sign on it?

Hmm?

[ Chuckles ] Look at this nigga right here.

You know, Frank, Bumpy don't own 116th no more.

Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem right now.

I'm the landlord, and the lease is 20%.

Well, look, don't-- Don't sell dope then, Frank.

Get a real job. You need a fuckin' job, Frank?

Hmm? That what you need? Well, you can come work for me.

Okay? You can drive me around. Huh? You can open my doors. Huh?

"Yes, sir." "No, sir." "Right away, sir."

"Uh, anything you want, Massa Johnson."

Twenty percent.

Twenty percent is my profit, Tango.

If I give you that, what do I got left? Nothin', right?

Twenty percent puts me out of business and every somebody you know out of business.

There's legitimate ways of doin' things, Tango, and then there's this way.

Not even Bumpy took 20%.

Bumpy's fuckin' dead.

My man.

Twenty percent?

Twenty percent.

Doc. Let's go.

[ Man On TV ] The drug problem in Vietnam is more than marijuana.

At this point, it is estimated that one-third of American troops...

are experimenting with opium and heroin.

The authorities say they've confiscated...

large quantities of marijuana, heroin and pills.

Every person and every vehicle going through the gates...

is subject to a thorough shakedown.

[ Man #2 ] Soldiers have access to the drugs...

at many rest and relaxation spots...

in Bangkok, Saigon and other areas throughout Vietnam and Thailand.

Officials say the easy availability, relatively cheap cost...

and high purity of heroin throughout Saigon and the Far East...

is leading to an epidemic of heroin addiction among U.S. soldiers.

[ Woman On Phone ] Operator. [ Frank ] Yeah, international.

What city? Bangkok.

- You know the country code? - Yeah. 376.

- For the first three minutes, it'll be-- - All right, I got it. I got it.

[ Man Speaking Thai ] Hello?

Soul Brothers. Hey, can I help you?

Nate.

Do I know you? Yeah, it's me.

Who? Me. Frank. Your cousin, Negro.

Go on and get yourself a new suit.

Look, I'm sorry. Oh, please, Richie.

It couldn't be avoided. I will take him next weekend, all right?

We're moving. [ Cap Gun Pops ]

What? Where?

The St. Regis. What do you care?

My sister's.

Your sister's? In Vegas?

Yeah. You are not movin' to Las Vegas.

Not with Michael anyway.

What am I supposed to do with him?

Leave him with you? There's a picture.

[ Bottles Shattering ] Hey, guys, be cool.

Laurie, Las Vegas is not the kind of place that you raise a kid.

Oh, like-- like this is a good environment?

And around yourfriends?

When am I supposed to see my boy?

This weekend. Last weekend.

[ Bottles Shattering ] Goddamn it.

- [ Men Laughing ] - Hey! I asked you nice to shut up, right?

Now I'm gonna have to kill you.

I swear I will pull out my gun and put a bullet in your fuckin' head!

Now, stop what you're doin' and pick up the glass! Calm down, man, okay? Be cool.

Fuckin' crazy, man.

You don't have a gun.

You sure?

You are crazy, Richie.

You don't have room for us.

I'll see you in court. [ Cap Gun Pops ]

Come on, Michael!

Say good-bye to your dad.

Get over here. Hey, kiddo.

See you next week, all right? We'll do somethin'.

[ Laurie ] Let's get you an ice cream.

[ Woman ] You have 10 minutes remaining.

Ten minutes.

[ Knuckles Crack ] [ Sighs ]

[ Man ] Whoo! Whoo-hoo!

Whoo!

Shake it, baby! Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it!

Aw, come on, girl. Don't take but $5.00 to do a little somethin'.

Can you dig that it costs money to be here?

Aw, come on, girl. Don't take but $5.00 to do a little somethin'-somethin'.

** [ Ends ]

[ Patrons Whistling ]

[ Speaking Thai ]

How much you want, Frank?

Tell him I want a hundred keys.

Frank, ain't nobody I know can get you that much personally, all right?

You're gonna have to piece it together from several sources.

And it's not gonna be a hundred percent pure.

Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh. I don't want that.

I know what you don't want, Frank.

But, look. What you gonna need is to get to the Chiu Chou syndicate, all right?

You ain't hearin' me. Cholon. Saigon.

If they're gonna deal with you at all. I understand that.

But by then it's gonna be too late. It'll be already chopped up.

I wanna go get it where they go get it from. I wanna go to the source.

So you're gonna get it yourself? Why not?

Huh? I came this far.

You gonna go into the motherfuckin' jungle? I'm in the jungle. Look around.

They eatin' these roaches and... whatever that is.

Nigga, I'm talkin' about snakes, all right? I'm talkin' about tigers.

I'm talkin' about Vietcong. I'm talkin' about mosquitoes that'll fuckin' kill yo' ass.

You wanna go into the jungle? We goin'.

- Fuck it. Let's go. - We goin'.

Why not? Let's go.

Hey, Frank.

This whole spot's locked down by the Kuomintang.

General Chiang Kai-shek's defeated army.

[ Girl Chattering In Foreign Language ]

[ Speaks Foreign Language ]

How would you get it into the States?

You ain't got to worry about that.

Who do you work for in there? You ain't got to worry about that either.

Who are you really?

Frank Lucas. Says it right there in my passport.

I mean, who you represent? Me.

You think you're going to take a hundred kilos of heroin into the U.S....

and you don't work for anyone?

Someone is going to allow that?

That's right.

[ Speaking Foreign Language ]

After this first purchase,

if you are not killed by Marseilles importers...

or their people in the States,

then, uh, what?

Then there'll be more, much more. I guarantee it.

And if it's all the same to you, I don't wanna have to drag my ass up here no more.

Of course not.

My man.

Soul brother, huh? Soul brother.

[ Chattering In Foreign Language ]

Fifty grand. It's gonna cover them...

and the pilot and the boys on the other end.

Give 'em a hundred.

Fifty gonna cover it, Frank.

Give 'em a hundred. Give 'em the whole thing. Here.

And, look. That's all I got.

So if that dope don't arrive for any reason--

Hey, listen.

Cousin or no cousin, I'm a busy man, all right?

I ain't got no time to be goin' to nobody's funeral.

I'll let you know when it's in the air.

My man.

[ No Audible Dialogue ]

[ Phone Rings ]

[ Ringing ]

[ Ringing ]

[ Jay ] Richie? Yeah?

This fuckin' guy made me. I don't know how he did, but he did.

He went for his gun.

I had to do it, man.

There's a hundred people out there heard the shots.

You gotta help me. You gotta do something.

[ Woman Mutters ]

Where are you, Jay?

[ Doorknob Rattling ] That's the problem.

Dispatch, I got a 1013. I got a 1013.

[ Male Dispatcher ] Copy that. What's your 20?

It's tower two.

Apartment 1-G.

Kent and West, in the projects.

Identify yourself, please.

Detective Richie Roberts.

That's a negative. I got no units in that area.

Bullshit.

Please put the call out again. I'm gonna need assistance.

Detective Roberts, I got no units in that area.

Fuck you. That's a negative.

[ Man Shouting, Indistinct ]

[ Woman ] What the fuck happened in there, you fuckin' pig?

[ Shouting Continues, Indistinct ]

[ Man ] Fuck that motherfucker! Get his ass!

[ Man #2 ] Yo, cracker, you gonna pay for this shit!

[ Man ] What the fuck you doin'? What the fuck you doin'?

What you gonna do, motherfucker?

Hey, hey. Be cool.

Be cool, all right?

I'll find out what's going on in here.

[ Doorknob Rattling ] Richie.

[ Pounding ] [ Man ] Open this door!

Open the motherfuckin' door!

- Where's your backup? - [ Man ] You motherfuckin' cracker!

You got no backup? Why is that?

[ Man ] You gotta come out sometime, motherfucker!

Bandage his neck.

Richie, he's dead. I know he's fuckin' dead, right?

Bandage his neck, clean up his head,

prop him up on the gurney so he's sittin', and open his fuckin' eyes.

[ Man ] Open this fuckin' door! All right?

Let's go. Fuck.

[ Paramedic ] All right, clean him up.

[ Paramedic #2 ] Okay, where's the solution?

[ Banging ]

Hey.

[ Doorknob Rattling ]

[ Man ] Goddamn it! Open this fuckin' door!

[ Pounding ] [ Roberts ] Give me your gun.

What? Give me your gun.

[ Man ] Get your punk ass out here, man!

[ Doorknob Rattling ] You have your badge?

I'm sick of your motherfuckin' games!

Kill that son of a bitch! You guys ready?

[ Paramedic #1 ] Uh-huh. Okay? Just keep moving forward.

You all right?

It's okay. It's okay.

We're gonna take him to the hospital.

We're gonna take him to the hospital.

[ Shouting, Chattering ] It's all right.

He's okay. We're gonna take him to the hospital.

Step back. Step back.

Be cool.

[ Shouting Continues ]

[ Jay ] He's alive.

What happened to Sy? We're taking him to the hospital.

[ Siren Blaring ]

[ Radio Chatter ]

Thanks, man.

Fuck.

That asshole pulled a piece on me, man. Can you fuckin' believe it?

Pulls a piece on a cop? I had to do it, man.

Kill or be killed.

Fuckin' crazy world, right?

What the fuck were you doin' in the projects?

Yeah, investigating stuff, man, you know,

just like you taught me.

Checkin' on guys, following things up,

putting the pieces together.

Guy was a dealer, fucking dealer-- scum of the earth.

That guy didn't pull a gun on a cop, Jay.

That guy pulled a gun on a junkie.

The junkie was trying to rob him. The fuck you say?

What the fuck, man? What are you doin', man?

The fuck is that? That's my fuckin' money, man!

I earned this shit! That's mine! I earned it doin' good cop work!

What the fuck is that? I earned it doin' good cop work!

You murdered a guy! I earned it getting shot at!

You murdered a guy!

You murdered him. You robbed his money, then called me to get you out of it.

That makes me an accessory after the fact, motherfucker.

I'll tell you the facts. Just write the report the way I say it happened.

A-And then that's the way it is. A-And that's how it'll be.

I can't do that.

I'm a leper because I listened to you...

and turned in a million bucks.

No one will work with me after that.

I can get off this shit, Richie.

That's easy.

Just write the report.

Between us, as partners.

I can't do that.

Hey!

[ Grunts ]

Stop!

Fuck it.

[ Alarm Wailing ]

Open the trunk.

[ Protesters Chanting On TV ]

LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?

Get out, get out, get out of Vietnam!

Get out, get out, get out of Vietnam!

[ Man ] ...as loud as we can that the Vietnam War should stop.

And that the best way to stop it...

is for the United States to simply pack up...

and get out of Vietnam right now.

[ Cheering ]

How we lookin'?

[ Chuckles ]

Typically what I see is 25 to 45% pure.

I mean, there's no adulterants, no alkaloids. There are no dilutants.

It's a hundred percent.

May I? Take it with you.

Thank you, Frank.

* Don't you ever *

* Be sad *

* Lean on me *

* When times are bad *

* When the day comes *

* And you're down *

* In a river of trouble *

* And about to drown *

* Just hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* Hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* I'm on my way *

* Your lover *

* If you get cold *

* I'll be your cover *

* Don't have to worry *

* 'Cause I'm here *

* Don't need to suffer, baby *

* 'Cause I'm near Yeah *

* Just hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* Hold on *

How about two dimes? Yeah, baby.

[ Baby Cries ]

* Don't you ever *

* Be sad *

* Lean on me *

* When the times are bad *

* When the day comes *

* And you're down, baby *

* In a river of trouble *

* And about to drown *

* Just hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* Hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* Just hold on *

* I'm comin' *

* Hold on *

* I'm comin' *

** [ Fading ]

** [ Plays Notes ]

I'll take it.

No contingencies, no loan, no nothin'.

Cash.

Fabulous.

I'm not talking about your proclivities, Richie. Those I only know too well.

I'm talkin' about being a cop.

[ Roberts ] You're talkin' about taking money?

I don't do that. It's not my thing.

Well, what about your friends from the neighborhood?

Do you still hang out with 'em? Yeah.

Play baseball on the weekends. Wise guys? That's gonna look good.

Guys I went to high school with. So what?

What about Joseph Sodano?

What about him?

Richie, I'm just trying to understand things your wife has said.

They're not true, tell me. Yeah, he's one of them.

Is he also your son's godfather? Yeah.

He's definitely fucking her.

Do you really care about this,

or do you just not want her to win ever?

You know, there's an interview room on the second floor.

That's what I thought. The door only locks from the inside.

All rise.

[ Moaning ]

Oh, Richie, fuck me like a cop, not a lawyer.

[ Phone Ringing ]

Mmm. Don't answer it! No.

Yeah.

[ Man ] Don't sweat it.

Yeah, miss you too.

Richie Roberts. Hey, Norm?

Hey. Richie Roberts.

Hi. Detective Norman Riley.

Hey, Norm. How are ya? Good.

So, is that him? Yeah.

Picked a nice night to come out, huh?

It's like Grand Central around here.

It's been like this.

I'm lucky if I get home by midnight.

It's like nothin' we've seen before.

Is there something I've got to sign?

[ Riley ] Yeah, it's right over here.

I'm takin' this with me. I wanna register it with Essex County. All right.

America's public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse.

In order to fight and defeat this enemy,

it is necessary to wage a new all-out offensive.

[ Newscaster ] Federal authorities have announced their intention...

to establish special narcotics bureaus in Washington, New York,

Los Angeles, Chicago--

A detective without the support of his fellow detectives really can't do much.

You know why I don't have it.

Doesn't matter. You did what you had to do.

The greatest city in the world,

and it's turning into an open sewer.

And everybody's stealing,

dealing.

Look at you. You can't work because you did your job.

Good news is you're not the only honest cop in town.

The special narcotics bureau in Washington is not a dog and pony show.

They are sincere.

I know this because they want us to orchestrate it,

and I want you to head up things here on our end.

If it's federal, who do I answer to? The post office?

No, you answer to me. Me and the U.S. Attorney, nobody else.

You never step foot in a police station again.

You work out of your own place.

You pick your own guys,

guys that you know would not take a nickel off the sidewalk.

Here we go, Jimmy. Come on. Oh, yeah. Give it back to me.

[ Phone Rings ]

Huey's. [ Frank ] Huey. What up, boy?

- Yeah, who's this? - Who you think it is, boy?

Frank. Well, Frank who?

Frank your brother, Negro.

Frankie? [ Laughs ]

That's right.

Hey, Melvin! Melvin, where's Ma? What?

Where's-- Frank's on the phone!

[ Melvin ] Hey, Ma! How you doin', Frankie?

Frank on the phone!

Say what? Mama, Frank on the phone!

Frank? Oh, my Lord.

Yeah, when? Well, you just say it, man, yeah.

Listen, I'm gonna call y'all back at 6:00.

I want you to get everybody together, all right?

Get Mama. Get everybody, all right?

Okay.

* Hard times, hard times *

* Hard times seem like they's here to stay *

Oh.

* Hard time, hard time *

Hey, Frank!

What's happening, Frank?

How you doin', Uncle Frank?

Get out the car. Get the keys.

Oh, my Lord.

Oh, my Lord.

I'm so glad to see you, boy.

Oh, I'm tellin' you.

This is some piece of land you got here.

[ Laughing ] I wonder what the poor people are doing.

- And whose house is that, Frank? - That is your house, Mama.

Mine? That's yours.

And who else?

[ All Laughing ]

Now, that's my room right there.

Right over there, man. Right over there.

[ Tapping Glass ] [ Chattering ]

[ Mama ] Shh. Listen.

I wanna tell you how happy I am...

to see all my children at the table...

and the grandchildren at the same time.

My heart's so happy.

Enjoy yourselves.

I hope you got a job, boy, the way you eatin' over here.

That boy right there, he got an arm on him.

I mean, a major-league arm.

Oh, yeah? Ain't that right?

Right on, Pop.

We'll see after dinner. Let's see him throw it around.

No, no, you can't catch him, man.

I'm talkin' about this guy throw harder than Gibson.

We talkin' 95 miles an hour.

- Can you catch him? - He gonna-- He gonna catch the ground.

We might have played catch, I think, when I was about five years old.

Since then he ain't been able to keep up.

This is your room. Perfect.

Oh, why, it's--

Will you look at this?

[ Gasps ] Oh!

Oh, it's beautiful.

It's beautiful. It's just--

H-How did you-- I had it made.

From memory.

You were five when they took it away.

That's right. How could you--

How could I forget, Mama?

Hon, I-I just tell you.

It-It is perfect.

It's all perfect.

I can't tell you how much I love you.

I love you too, Mama. I can't tell you--

It's okay.

** [ Latin Jazz ]

[ Man ] Both these guys are good with wires.

They got solid informants.

They're honest, and they're fearless.

They're insane, Richie, like you.

Where are they?

Uh, that's, uh--

That's Jones with the skinny white broad.

Best I ever seen on the street.

Knows dope, but he's together.

All right? He's a stand-up guy all around.

And that's Abruzzo with the two fat black ones.

He-- He loves a big ass, man.

He-- He's a bulldog.

He don't fuck around, all right?

He's got a bit of a temper, yeah,

but you could trust this guy with your grandmother.

Listen, Richie. We work together.

You want me, you gotta take them too.

So when we start?

[ Ship's Horn Blows ]

The man I worked for had one of the biggest companies in New York City.

He ran it for more than 50 years.

Fifteen years, eight months and nine days, I was with him every day.

I worked for him. I protected him.

I looked after him. I learned from him.

Bumpy was rich, but he wasn't white-man rich, see?

He wasn't wealthy. He didn't own his own company.

He thought he did, but he didn't. He just managed it.

White man owned it, so they owned him.

Nobody owns me though. Hey.

- How you doin', baby? - Good.

That's 'cause I own my own company,

and my company sells a product that's better than the competition...

at a price that's lower than the competition.

Well, what we sellin' here, Frank?

* Help me, y'all *

* I'll take you there *

[ Knocking ] * Help me now *

* I'll take you there *

* Oh, mmm *

* I'll take you there *

* Oh, oh, mercy * How you doin', Red?

These are my brothers. Just got here from North Carolina.

Everybody, this is Redtop. Hello.

Hey, how you doin'? And the ladies.

[ Woman ] Hey! [ Woman #2 ] Nice family.

What's wrong? Y'all niggas ain't never seen coochie before?

[ All Laughing ] [ Man ] Why they all naked?

[ Frank ] So they can't steal nothin'.

All right.

Most important thing in business is honesty,

integrity, hard work,

family,

never forgetting where we came from.

Thank you, Charlene.

See, you are what you are in this world.

That's either one of two things.

Either you're somebody... or you're nobody.

Be right back.

[ Tango ] Mmm. I need these fresh.

If I have to come back here and get you, you know what it is.

Tango. We ain't gonna play that.

[ Vendor ] Yes, sir. I hear you. You won't have to come back.

What about you, Frank? You need anything?

Where's my money? Redtop gave you the package.

You're supposed to be handing me my money.

Here's a jar right here. Twenty percent.

Oh, you got the jar? That's right.

[ Laughs ] Get the fuck out of here, Fra-- Oh.

What you gonna do? What the fuck you gonna do, Frank?

Huh? What you doin'?

You gonna shoot me? In front of everybody? Huh? Come on.

- [ Gunshot ] - [ Scattered Screams ]

Oh, shit.

There you go. Twenty percent.

So, what was I saying?

[ Roberts ] Uh--

This is the newly-formed Essex County narcotics squad.

Our mandate is to make major arrests. No street guys.

We're looking for the suppliers and the distributors.

Heroin, cocaine, amphetamines,

no grass under a thousand pounds, no powder under 40 kilograms.

Any less than that, then somebody else can waste their time.

We're gonna be handling the big shipments,

the big money and the big temptation.

[ Jones ] I heard a story about you,

that you found a million dollars in unmarked cash...

and you gave that shit back.

Is that true?

Yeah, I did. Anybody got a problem with that?

[ Men Laughing ]

So do I, you know? I think about it every day.

I should be down in South Florida with a 68-foot cruiser...

doin' fishing charters. [ Spearman ] You and me both.

But, you know, I didn't. So here I am.

And, uh, we'll be looking to land some other kind of sharks.

All right? [ Abruzzo ] Bingo.

[ Door Closes ]

[ Roberts ] Hmm.

[ Jones ] See that, Richie? [ Roberts ] Yeah.

[ Jones ] Now, this stuff is your everyday stuff, you know?

But this Blue Magic-- twice the potency.

I mean, it's the purest thing I've ever seen on the streets.

Strong enough to smoke.

And that's for those white suburban kids who's scared of needles.

[ Abruzzo ] I paid 10 bucks for that.

And it's everywhere. I mean, it's on every corner out there.

So how is that possible?

Who can afford to sell shit twice as good for half as much?

** [ Funk ]

Hey, man, Frankie baby. Good to see you.

Everything is good? Yeah, man. Just got back from Europe.

Over there for two months. South of France, man.

[ Man ] This way. This way. Wonderful. Wonderful.

[ Cheering ]

You know what I'm sayin', man?

- [ Man ] Over here! - Here you go.

Whoo! Who is that?

Look at you, my man.

** [ Ends ]

All right, all right, all right.

[ Man ] Ladies and gentlemen, the Brown Bomber,

the champ, Mr. Joe Louis.

[ Cheering ]

** [ Funk ]

Who's that with Joe? Miss Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico? Mm-hmm.

She a beauty queen? For real. Thebeauty queen.

[ Man ] * I'm in the middle of it all *

* While doin' the dance *

* I said give yourself a soul clap *

* It's a stone cold, cold funky *

* It's good and smooth *

* Oh, it's a smooth *

* Smooth, smooth Get on down *

My main man. My mainman.

* It's a stone cold, cold funky *

* Get on down Get on down *

Can y'all excuse us for a minute, please?

Yeah, sure, Frank. Yes, sir.

Thank you.

What's goin' on, man?

What you smiling about? I don't know.

What is it? What's what?

Huh? What's what?

Come here.

What is that you got on? What's what, man?

What-- Yeah, that. What you got on.

It's a very, very, very nice suit.

That's a very, very, very nice suit, huh?

That's a clown suit. That's a costume...

with a big sign on it that says "arrest me."

You understand? You're too loud. You're making too much noise.

Look at me. The loudest one in the room...

is the weakest one in the room.

I told you that. All right?

You trying to be like Nicky Barnes and them?

What's your problem with Nicky? I like Nicky.

I ain't got no problem with Nicky.

Oh, you like Nicky? Yeah.

You wanna be like Nicky? You wanna be Super Fly?

You wanna work for him, huh?

Share a jail cell with him, maybe cook for him? He wants to talk to you.

Oh, so now you talking to him about me? It ain't like that.

What is it like? We were talking. Your name came up.

About what? I don't know, man. I told him I'd tell you.

You know. Boy, you--

You know if you wasn't my brother, I'd kill you. You know that, don't you?

I'd blow your motherfuckin' brains out.

Come on, man. Don't be like that.

I'm taking you shopping this week.

* See deep into you *

* And know what you're thinking now *

* And if I'm what you're needing *

* I need some kind of sign *

* Let me know 'cause I can't read your mind *

* Are you in *

* Or am I in this on my own? *

* I need some clue from you *

Hey.

You still owe me that dance, right? [ Frank ] Doc, come on.

Frank, check this.

[ Chattering ]

How you doing?

Hi.

Frank Lucas. Eva Kendo.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Frank.

You're Frank, and this is your place?

That's right. I'm Frank, and this is my place.

* Ooh *

* You play it so cool *

Why is it called Small's?

Why didn't you call it Frank's?

Well, when you own something, you call it what you want.

Small's.

Or Frank's. Frankie Small's.

Small's Frankie.

That's right. You wanna let my hand go?

Okay.

You leaving?

No, I was going to my table.

Okay. You need somebody to go with you?

Yes? Mm-hmm.

[ Spearman ] All the cheesies.

[ Abruzzo ] Hey, hey, what do we got here?

You wash your hands? I got one print of that. You're gonna smudge it.

[ Spearman ] There you go.

[ Jones ] Hey, Spearman, what about him? [ Spearman ] Who's that?

Joey Sodano, Don Cattano's nephew.

Ah, yeah, put him up there by the big man.

He looks like your uncle, Abruzzo. [ Abruzzo ] But not as handsome.

[ Jones ] He looks more like your sister. [ Abruzzo ] Yeah, that's funny.

You guys should take that show on the road.

So we need, uh, Ice Pick Paul.

[ Abruzzo ] Ice Pick Paul? [ Jones ] Sure, yeah.

[ Abruzzo ] Ice Pick Paul. He goes way up here up top.

Ice Pick Paul is a fuckin' soldier.

This guy's a lieutenant. How's that even possible?

That guy is a soldier. This guy's a lieutenant.

[ Spearman ] You're thinking of Benny the Bishop.

[ Spearman ] Jonesy's right.

Which one of you guys has ever seen Ice Pick Paul selling drugs?

[ Abruzzo ] Actually seen it go down?

Yeah, seen it go down.

Been in his place. Seen him handle drugs.

That rat Ricky has told us.

He's fuckin' dead.

About four weeks ago.

[ Spearman ] Hey, hey. He's dead.

[ Spearman ] Well, we can take him off the fuckin' board.

I don't think we've got any solid evidence on anybody on that board.

[ Jones ] What are you saying, Richie?

This is weeks and weeks of work, man.

I'm saying take it down. We gotta start again from the street.

That's considerably more than one year's salary, Richie.

If it disappears, we will not be able to get it for you again.

That's yours. Signing my life away again...

for a lousy 20 grand.

It has to be Blue Magic, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's gonna be Blue.

You can pick it up here tomorrow.

$20,000. Just leave it there.

How'd you do? Good.

Here he comes.

That's him? Yeah.

That was quick.

Richie, he goes into the city, what do we fuckin' do?

Stay with the fuckin' money. We stay with the money. We can't go in the fuckin' city.

Yes, we can. That's 20 grand in there that I'm responsible for.

- I ain't losing it. - It's out of our jurisdiction!

- [ Roberts ] Follow the money! - All right, all right, all right, all right!

He's pulling over.

All right, here we go.

Let me out here.

[ Honking ]

- Don't disappear, all right? - I'll circle the block.

[ Man ] Move!

[ Train Rattling Overhead ]

Frankie, Frankie, sit down. What?

Happy birthday, gentlemen. How you doing, huh?

What the fuck is this over here, huh?

You going bowling?

Ah, look at that. Strike.

What's between your legs? What's in the bag?

Nothing. Get up. Get the fuck up.

[ Detective #1 ] Get up. [ Man ] It's not my bag.

[ Detective #2 ] What's your real name? Shut the fuck up.

[ Woman ] What are you doing? [ Detective #2 ] Sit down and shut up.

Don't you move.

[ Siren Blaring ]

[ Roberts ] Hey, guys?

Guys. Officers.

Hey, I'm Richie Roberts from Newark.

Uh, that's my money.

What the fuck? What money? What money?

The bills are sequenced, right?

They're registered with the Essex County prosecutor's office.

Just check them out.

They all start with CF3500.

Have a look.

It fuckin' registers.

I thought I had a fuckin' Chris-Craft sitting in my driveway.

Honest mistake. If I could just get the money, eh?

This time.

All right. There it is. All right. Thanks.

When was the last time I was in Jersey? Let me think.

Never.

What are you doing coming over here unannounced?

Don't you think you could get hurt doing that?

You got your fuckin' money, Richie.

And never, ever come into this city again unannounced.

You come in to see a fuckin' Broadway show,

you call ahead first, see if it's okay with me.

No problem. All right.

Let's go hit some balls.

[ Roberts ] Great suits, huh?

That your car?

That's a fuckin' great car.

Have a nice fuckin' trip back to Jersey. All right.

Come on. I got a tee time. Let's go.

[ Engine Starts, Revs ]

This is your father?

That's Martin Luther King.

It is not. Yes, it is.

Martin Luther King. You know, "I have a dream."

Of course. No, that's, uh--

He was just as important as Martin Luther King... to me.

What did he do? Did a lot of things.

He was a friend and served New York.

New York served him.

He was my boss, my teacher.

What did he teach you?

He taught me a lot of things. He...

taught me how to take my time.

Taught me that if I was gonna do something,

to do it with care, with love.

Anything else?

[ Yells ]

Taught me to be a gentleman.

That's what you are?

That's what I try to be. Come here.

Come here. Sit right here.

Look at me.

I own about five apartments in Manhattan.

Homes all over the East Coast.

I could've taken you to any one of them, but I didn't.

- I brought you here-- - [ Mama ] Frank, I was looking for you, boy.

Because I wanted you to meet my mother. [ Mama ] Oh!

How you doing, Ma?

- Is this her? - Eva, this is my mother.

Hi. Eva. Oh!

Nice to meet you.

She's beautiful.

Look at her, Frank.

She's an angel come down from heaven.

Thank you.

Mr. Roberts.

I'm here for our appointment.

Handsome.

Morning. Morning.

Oh, sorry. Our appointment?

Child Social Services.

* Good lovin' *

* Good lovin' *

* Good lovin' *

* Good lovin' * Thank you.

[ Man ] Hey, how are you? Good.

* I was feeling *

She did mention your name though.

The stewardess?

No, not the stewardess. The lady from Child Services.

She mentioned your name...

right after she asked me...

if I associated with any criminals.

- [ Boy ] All right, go. You wanna see this? Go. - Hey, boys.

Joey. Hey, Joey!

Get in the pool. Go on.

Come on, come on.

So how'd she get my name?

Laurie. Hmm.

She's been saying a lot lately.

A lot.

[ Sets Glass On Table ]

[ Sighs ] You know, when you asked me to be your son's godfather,

I took it very seriously.

I know. I know, and I appreciate that.

And I said yes, I would take on this responsibility,

take care of your son if, God forbid, something happened to you.

Joe, the kind of things she's saying to Child Social Services...

made me look really bad, all right?

You know, out all kinds of hours at nighttime,

low-life informants around, women--

Old friends like me.

Old friends like you, yeah.

Uncle Joey! Watch me, okay?

[ Squeals ] [ Water Splashes ]

Okay, I understand.

They ask me, I'll tell 'em what you want me to tell 'em.

I'll lie for you. No, don't lie. You don't have to lie.

Just... omit certain details.

Sure. All right.

Now, there's something else I was gonna ask you. Something else.

You don't have to answer if you don't wanna.

"Blue Magic." Anything?

Just a lot of sorrow and misery...

from guys getting put out of work, that's all.

What, your guys? Just guys.

Anything about where it's coming from?

Guys down south. That's all I heard.

Cubans? I don't know.

Uh, Mexico? I don't know.

Are you telling me it's coming in from South America?

I don't know.

All I can tell you is whoever it is,

they're upsetting the natural order of things,

and that's all there is.

[ Phone Ringing ]

[ Ringing ]

What's up? [ Frank ] My man. How we lookin'?

** [ Man Vocalizing ]

** [ Vocalizing Continues ]

* I was the third brother of five *

* Doing whatever I had to do to survive *

* I'm not saying what I did was all right *

* Trying to break out of the ghetto was a day-to-day fight *

* Been down so long, getting up didn't cross my mind *

* And I knew there was a better way of life *

* And I was just trying to find *

* You don't know what you'll do *

* Till you're put under pressure *

* Across 110th Street was a hell of a tester *

- * Across 110th Street * - Hey.

* Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak *

* Across 110th Street *

* Pushers won't let the junkie go free *

* Across 110th Street *

* Woman trying to catch a trick on the street *

* Ooh, baby *

* Across 110th Street *

* You can find it all in the street **

Frank, I want you to meet Mike Sibota.

How you doin', Mr. Sibota? How are ya?

What can I get you? How about a left-hander?

From what Charlie tells me, your nephew.

Oh, this the-- Yankees.

Yankees. Yeah, yeah. Hey, hey, Steve!

Steve. Excuse me one second.

This boy's good, okay? I want you to put him on the Yankees.

'Cause you good enough, ain't you? I'm a Lucas.

Good enough on a bad day, Jack.

Good enough on a bad day, so don't make it a bad day. Make it a good day.

[ Man ] NYPD.

Excuse me. Police department. No, no, back up, baby.

Oh, hey, whoa!

Hey, hey, hey!

Takin' your ass in, Jimmy.

No, no, you can't take me in for that.

Where's the handcuffs? I got a license for that, motherfucker.

What the hell's wrong with you? You got a license for this?

Excuse me, all right? [ Snorts ]

Oh, shit. All right! Yeah!

I gotta arrest you for that shit.

That shit's too good to be on the street.

What are you doin', man? You ain't gotta arrest nobody.

You bribin' me now? You bribin' me now?

Hell, yeah. I'll tell you what.

I'll arrest everybody. All y'all. You first.

He gonna bail you out. Oh, shit.

Excuse me. He's just gonna arrest everybody.

- Look at him. - Back it up, baby.

What was that?

Come on. What's the matter with you, man?

I said, what the hell was that? What was what?

[ Arguing ] What's your fuckin' problem?

[ Scattered Gasps, Screams ]

Goddamn!

[ Yelling ]

He's all right. I just shot him in the leg is all.

[ Detective ] Damn, Jimmy!

[ Scattered Gasps ] [ Jimmy Groans ] Get up.

[ Gagging ]

[ Piano Strings Vibrate ]

[ Wood Cracking ]

[ Groans ]

All right, everybody, get out.

Get out!

[ Huey ] Come on, Frank. It was an accident.

[ Frank ] It wasn't no goddamn accident. He feels terrible.

He don't feel shit 'cause he coked up all the motherfuckin' time.

He's your driver. Get rid of him.

Come on, man. That's your cousin.

It ain't shit to me. He don't mean nothing.

What's he gonna do? Go home?

I don't give a damn what he does. Send his ass home.

Hey, hey, hey. Don't rub on that!

You blot that. You understand?

That's alpaca. That's $25,000 alpaca.

You blot that shit. You don't rub it. Put the club soda on there.

Simple Simon-ass motherfucker. Listen, from now on-- I'll straighten him out.

don't nobody talk to me directly, you understand?

You got business with me, you talk to Huey.

Huey, you talk to me. You got it? All right.

Damn it, never on the phone, you got it?

I got it. All right.

And take them goddamn sunglasses off.

Take the goddamn sunglasses off. Damn it, man.

Simple Simon-ass motherfuckers.

[ Gunshot ]

[ Geese Honking ]

The whole place was imported,

brick by brick.

Gloucestershire.

Who?

Great Britain.

Yours.

Here you go.

Pull.

** [ Piano ]

Come, Eva.

Um, I'm sure you're dying to see the rest of the house, hmm?

Of course.

Excuse me.

Thank you for a wonderful lunch.

It was delicious.

What you think of monopolies?

You mean, like the game, or--

No, I just think monopolies are made illegal in the country, Frank,

'cause nobody wants to compete, you know?

Nobody wants to compete, not with a monopoly.

I mean, you let the dairy farmers do that, right?

Half of them would be out of business tomorrow.

Just trying to make a living. Well, it's your right.

It's everyone's right. It's America.

We just can't do it at that unreasonable expense of others.

Then it becomes un-American,

and that's why the price we pay for that gallon of milk...

could never represent the true cost of production,

'cause it's gotta be controlled, gotta be set.

It's gotta be fair.

Gotta be controlled by who? I set a price that I think is fair.

I don't think it's fair. You don't? I think it's--

I know your customers are happy, Frank,

bunch of fuckin' junkies that they are. [ Laughs ]

But we fellow dairy farmers out here, Frank--

Are you thinkin' of us?

You thinkin' of them?

The dairy farmers. Yeah.

I'm thinking of them, Dominic,

about as much as they've ever thought about me.

I'm just thinking out loud now.

If you took some of your inventory, Frank,

and you sold it wholesale--

Sit.

We could work.

We could do some distribution.

I don't know. I'm pretty good, Dominic.

I got 110th, 155th, river to river. I'm all right.

Well, it's kind of a mom-and-pop store next to what I'm talking about.

Let's go at least bigger than Kmart.

I'm talking about L.A., Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas.

Let's go nationwide, huh?

I'm gonna guarantee you your peace of mind here.

You don't want that?

You're gonna need it.

I don't know how you view me, you know.

I'm kind of a Renaissance man, Frank.

The people I deal with on a daily basis,

they're not enlightened, Frank.

You talk to them about civil rights, they don't know.

They're not open to change.

Not from the way things are done and who's doing it. Hmm?

I talk to them.

There's just no misunderstandings.

And that's what I mean for your peace of mind.

Yeah.

You're paying, what, 75, 80,000 a kilo?

I'm a Renaissance man too.

I'll consider 50,000.

Why would you trust these people?

And the way they look at you--

They look at me like it's Christmas, and I'm Santa Claus.

They look at us like we're the help.

They work for me now.

I predict that when I meet Joe Frazier,

this will be like a good amateur fighting a real professional.

[ Laughing ] This will be like a kid out of the Olympics...

[ Officer ] That's gonna be Ali in, like, three.

[ Jones ] Oh, man. Come on, cat. You dig it?

[ Frazier ] You not fightin' Sonny Liston. You fightin' Joe Frazier.

Everybody knows that. That's not the point. [ Abruzzo ] He's all talk, man.

[ Spearman ] Look at Frazier. [ Jones ] Ali gonna crush him, baby.

Stop me? You? How soon? What round?

[ Man ] Look, don't let him obligate you.

[ TV Announcer ] Tonight, March 8, 1971.

Here we are at Madison Square Garden for the fight of the century,

and by anybody's definition, this is a happening.

There are handshakes,

and, of course, there are utterly beautiful women.

But behind the smiles and behind the handshakes,

you can feel the atmosphere so heavy with tension, it's almost unbearable.

Everybody who is anybody is here,

like Sinatra, like Graziano,

David Frost and Diahann Carroll...

and Woody Allen and Diane Keaton.

The celebrities are pouring in.

[ Ali ] The way you all build it up--

Life magazine cover, Time magazine.

Everybody gives their opinion.

Dempsey says I'll lose.

Joe Louis. And when Joe Louis say I'm gonna lose,

I know I done won this one.

Joe Louis-- Joe Louis always picks the wrong man. Always picks the wrong--

Where Joe Louis at? Joe Louis is here tonight. Where Joe at?

Baby. Oh, God.

[ Ali ] Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Not watchin' the fight, Bob?

I'm not into boxing.

This ain't boxing, kid.

It's politics.

I got something for you too. Yeah?

Hmm? A coat? For me?

Mm-hmm.

Do you like it?

The coat? Yeah, yeah, it's nice.

Hmm? What do you think?

Yeah. You sure?

Yeah.

Mmm. Mmm.

[ Chattering ]

[ Man ] Over here, Sammy!

[ Man #2 ] Hey, Sammy, give a look!

Joe Louis, over here!

How's it going, Frank?

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Announcer ] Now, ladies and gentlemen,

we have quite a list of introductions.

We are now going to introduce people from all endeavors of life.

And not just show people,

because everyone is here tonight.

Main event! [ Bell Dinging ]

[ Man ] Where's Muhammad Ali?

[ Man #2 ] Ali! [ Announcer ] Fifteen rounds...

for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

There we go, Ali!

From Louisville, Kentucky. He's wearing red trunks.

Champ, this is Frank Lucas.

Here is Muhammad Ali!

His opponent, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He's wearing green trunks.

Who's that laughing with Cattano?

There. How'd he get so fuckin' close to the ring?

Champion of the world,

Joe Frazier!

Frank, you gonna keep that hat on all night? I'm gonna miss the fight.

You paid for it.

- [ Man ] Put it on him, Joe! - [ Man #2 ] Waited a long time for this, baby!

[ Reporter ] Joe, over here!

[ Referee ] Good evening, Joe, Muhammad.

[ Man ] You don't stand a chance, Frazier!

[ Spearman ] Yeah, this guy, he's a supplier at most or just a pimp.

Otherwise we'd know his name.

[ Roberts ] His tickets were phenomenal.

Better seats than Dominic Cattano, right?

Joe Louis shook his hand.

Who the fuck is this guy?

What's this?

That's the, uh, plate off the limo.

Check with the company who rented it.

** [ "Wedding March" ]

Right there, Mr. Lucas.

Right there. That's good.

[ Man ] Lookin' good, Frank!

[ Man #2 ] Right on, Frankie!

[ Woman ] Congratulations!

- [ Women Shriek ] - [ Laughing ]

She's the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.

That's my sunshine right there, Mr. Williams.

I wish Bumpy had met her.

[ Woman ] Throw it to me!

Get a picture.

[ Cheering ]

[ Bells Tolling ]

Well? Come here, baby.

What's happening? Sit tight.

Congratulations, Frank.

Detective.

You sure you done the right thing?

I mean, she's a beautiful girl and all.

Hey, hey, listen. Don't get me wrong.

Before you say anything about me or about my wife,

understand this is the most important day of my life, Detective.

Oh, I understand. I understand.

A man walks around in a $50,000 chinchilla coat...

and never even bought me a cup of coffee,

there's something wrong there.

You pay your bills, Frank?

I don't know what you're talking about. Do you pay your bills?

If you're not getting your share, maybe you need to talk to the chief of police.

What's my share? 'Cause you don't even fuckin' know me.

Maybe I'm special.

You are special.

You see that right there?

"Special Investigations Unit."

Special. Get it?

Ten grand. First of each month.

Deliver it right here.

Are you done? Oh, yeah. I'm done.

Don't forget your card. Have a nice fuckin' honeymoon.

Let's go.

[ Roberts ] His name is Frank Lucas,

originally from Greensboro, North Carolina.

Couple of arrests years ago.

Uh, gambling and unlicensed firearm.

For 15 years, he was Bumpy Johnson's driver, bodyguard and collector.

He was with him when he died.

He's got five brothers.

He's the oldest. And a lot of cousins.

They're all living up here now,

spread throughout the five boroughs and Jersey.

The brothers are Dexter--

- What can I do for you? - From Brooklyn. He's a dry cleaner.

Picking up.

- [ Shutter Clicking ] - Yeah.

Melvin in Queens has got a custom furniture and fire doors business.

This is right here? Right there.

Terrence in Newark has a hardware store.

Now, Turner in the Bronx has got a tire shop,

and Huey Lucas, in Bergen County, has a body shop.

Is there a manager here?

That's my price. Oh, man, I'm gonna take it somewhere else.

These businesses are the distribution and collection points...

for Frank's dope and Frank's money.

Everything about Frank's life...

seems unpretentious, orderly and legitimate.

He starts early, gets up at 5:00 a.m.,

has breakfast in a diner in Harlem every morning, usually by himself.

Then he starts work-- takes a meeting...

with an accountant or with his lawyer.

Now, nights he usually stays at home.

And if he does go out, it's to one of two clubs...

or a handful of restaurants, with his new wife.

Hangs with ballplayers-- It's fuckin' Wilt Chamberlain.

friends, musicians, never, never with organized crime guys.

Sundays he takes his mother to church.

Then he drives out and he changes the flowers on Bumpy's grave,

every Sunday, no matter what.

[ Lou ] Not the typical day in the life of a dope man, Richie.

[ Roberts ] No. Bumpy Johnson's life wasn't typical either,

and he ran Harlem for years.

So you're saying that Frank Lucas replaced Bumpy Johnson? Yeah.

His driver? Yeah.

Sounds a little far-fetched. But is it, right? Is it?

Because everything he does--

[ Jones ] He's handing out turkeys, man.

he does the same as Bumpy would have done.

And who was Bumpy most likely to teach?

The guy he sees every day.

It's like a Sicilian family.

He structured his organization to protect him in the same way.

And if he was with Bumpy for so long,

that means he would have spent a lot of time with Italians,

definitely long enough to learn that much.

But here's the thing.

I don't think it's Frank Lucas that we're after.

Who we want is whoever Frank Lucas is working for,

whoever's actually bringing the heroin in.

Okay. So what do you have on him that will stick in court?

Because this isn't it.

Without powder, without informants, no one's going to jail.

That's understood, sir.

And I don't think we're gonna get informants, not from inside the family.

You know, unless we get very, very lucky.

[ Chattering ]

All right.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

What's he done there?

** [ Marching Band ]

[ British Sports Announcer Calling Horse Race ]

[ Doorbell Rings ]

[ Gobbling ]

[ Glass Shattering ]

[ Dinging ]

Okay. Let's all join hands.

Lord, we thank you for this food we're about to receive,

the nourishments of our bodies.

Feed our souls with heavenly grace...

in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen.

[ All ] Amen.

[ Syringe Clatters ]

[ Crying ]

[ Siren Wails ]

Shh, shh. Hey.

It's okay.

Come on. It's okay. Shh, shh.

You better get yourself ready, old man.

Come on, big man. Throw the ball.

Get yourself ready, old man.

[ Melvin ] All right. Come on, now.

Your pop said you had an arm on you.

I'm gonna set your ass in the grass, Uncle Melvin.

[ Melvin ] Watch your mouth, boy. Throw the ball.

[ Steve ] Damn, Uncle Melvin. I'm a pitcher, not an outfielder.

Steve. Steve, come here.

Go on. Sit down.

Uncle Frank. What's happening?

How you doing? Cool.

You want a drink? You know better than that.

Just checking.

Why didn't you show up for that meeting, Steve, hmm?

I set it up with the Yankees and Billy Martin.

Why didn't you show up?

I-- Don't lie to me.

I don't wanna play ball no more.

I decided.

What you talking about? You decided what?

That ain't what I want. What you talking about?

You've been playing since you was a little boy.

You ready to go into the pros. What you--

Frank. You got a problem, man.

What do you want?

I want what you've got, Uncle Frank.

I wanna be you.

[ Woman Moans ]

** [ Speakers: Funk ]

[ Knocking ]

My man.

Welcome, Frank. How you doing, Nick?

It's all great. Welcome.

Need to talk to you. Great. Come on.

[ Frank ] Yeah, everybody's good, Nick.

Everybody's happy-- Charlie, Baz, the Italians, Johnny Law--

Everybody's happy except you.

I don't understand why you gotta take something that's perfectly good...

and mess it up.

See, brand names. Brand names mean something.

[ Man ] Bottoms up, baby! Shut the fuck up!

Go ahead, Frank.

I'm sorry about that bullshit.

Blue Magic. That's a brand name.

Like Pepsi. That's a brand name.

I stand behind it. I guarantee it.

They know that even if they don't know me...

any more than they know the chairman of General Mills.

What the fuck are you talking about?

When you chop my dope down to one, two, three, four, five percent...

and then you call it Blue Magic,

that is trademark infringement.

You understand what I'm saying?

With all due respect, Frank, if I buy something, I own it. No, that ain't true.

If I buy a car and I wanna paint it, I can paint the motherfucker.

But you don't have to, Nick. It's good enough the way it is.

You can make enough money off it the way it is just by calling it Blue Magic.

Anything more than that is greed, son.

Want me to change the name on it?

I would have to insist that you change the name.

Fine by me, Frank. I'll call it Red Magic. There you go.

Even though that don't sound as good.

I don't give a fuck what you call it.

Put a choke hold on the motherfucker and call it Blue Dog Shit.

I don't care. Just don't let me catch you doing this again.

"Catch me"? "Infringement"? "Insist"?

I don't like these words as much as "please."

"Thank you." "I'm sorry to bother you, Nicky." These are better words you use.

You come in my motherfucking club without an invitation. Hear me?

My man.

Oh, shit.

Fuck, is that the cops there, man?

It's all right.

What the hell they gonna do, give us a ticket?

Stuff's in the car, Frank.

What?

Some of it's in the trunk.

[ Trupo ] How you doing, Frank? I'm good.

How you doing, Detective? How was your Thanksgiving?

Not so good, as a matter of fact. Get out of the car.

Give me the fuckin' keys. Where the Shelby at?

The Shelby's gone, Frank.

Shelby's gone? Stay right there.

Yes, sir. Right here.

Got anything worth looking at in here?

Hey, that's that Trupo guy.

[ Spearman ] Is that him? Yeah.

Fucking prick.

Whoa! [ Detective ] Whoo!

Come over here a minute, Frank. Yeah.

What we gonna do about this?

[ Frank ] We ain't gotta do shit about it.

Close it up. Throw it back in the trunk.

Everybody go home, have some pumpkin pie, warm apple cider.

Well, I got a better idea.

Or would you rather me throw you and your brother in the fuckin' river?

Or would you rather your house blows up next time?

Hmm.

I loved that car. I know.

[ Roberts ] What's he doing?

Shakedown!

Somebody's getting some money for the Benevolent Fund.

Look at that shit.

Sorry, Frank.

It's all right. Go on. Get in the car.

[ Engine Starts ]

[ Yells ]

All right, you call me back.

[ Handset Settles In Cradle ]

INS, IRS, FBI-- I can't get a damn thing out of any of them.

Because they all think you're on the take.

And you think they are.

You know, I don't think they want this to stop.

I think it employs too many people--

judges, lawyers, cops, politicians,

prison guards, probation officers.

They stop bringin' dope into this country,

about 100,000 people are going to be out of a job.

[ Roberts ] What the fuck is a microwave?

[ Joey ] It's a scientific force, like atomic energy.

Yeah? Yeah.

It rearranges the molecules.

Of what? Of what? Of popcorn.

[ Timer Dings ]

Of your head.

Stick it in. Go on.

I can get you one of those.

Brand-new, just like this.

I'll have it delivered.

No, thank you.

Hey, where's that?

Aspen. We just got back.

Had a great time.

You know who we met? Who?

Burt Reynolds.

Yeah? Yeah.

Yeah? I'm not kidding.

A lot of people from Hollywood go up there now.

They're buying up everything.

This is your place?

You know what that's worth?

Ski in, ski out, five bedrooms, sauna, everything.

We were guests.

It's your place.

Isn't there something we can do...

about leaving the big guy alone?

You know who I mean.

I don't report what you just said,

I could get in a lot of trouble.

I do report it, and the trouble is yours.

I'm hoping you won't do that.

Richie, come on. I'm not taping it.

How do you know? Because we're friends.

And I'm telling you. This is a real offer.

From who? Your uncle?

Why would you do this? Why would you risk our friendship?

Because...

I care what happens to you.

You shouldn't have done this.

I had to. I had no choice.

Neither do you. Richie!

You don't have a choice.

Just leave Frank Lucas alone.

Frank Lucas?

Yeah.

You tell Marie I had to leave. I'm sorry.

Tell her why.

Talk! Talk! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

Are you Richie Roberts? Yeah. So what?

You've been served. I'm sorry.

[ Chattering ]

Laurie.

Look, I'm sorry I never gave you the kind of life you wanted, all right?

I'm sorry it was never enough.

Don't punish me for being honest.

Don't take my boy away.

[ Scoffs ]

What are you saying? That-- That because you were honest...

and you didn't take money like every other cop, I left you?

No. You don't take money for one reason--

to buy being dishonest about everything else.

And that's worse than taking money nobody gives a shit about.

Shh. Shh. Drug money, gambling money nobody's going to miss.

You know, I'd rather you took it...

and-- and been honest with me.

Or don't take it. I don't care.

But then, don't go cheat on me. Laurie--

Don't cheat on your kid by never being around.

Don't go out and get laid by your snitches...

and your secretaries and strippers.

You know, I can tell by just looking she's one of 'em.

You-- You think you're going to heaven because you're honest,

but you're not.

You're going to the same hell as the crooked cops you can't stand.

[ Door Closes ] [ Bailiff ] All rise.

[ Judge ] Please, be seated.

Miss Dickerson, before the court renders its opinion,

is there anything else you'd like to be heard on?

Yes, Your Honor.

Your Honor, a lot has been said here today...

about how unsavory Mr. Roberts's environment is for a child,

how dangerous it is.

We tell him to protect us.

We give him that responsibility, but then say,

"Oh, we don't trust you to raise a child.

We don't think you're fit for that."

I'm not.

You're right.

Being around me is no place for a kid.

You take him to Vegas.

I'll come see him when I can.

Your Honor, I just wanna apologize for wasting the court's time.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Man ] * Sleigh bells ring *

[ Frank ] Doc.

I see 'em.

There he is.

* In the lane, snow is glistening *

* A beautiful sight *

* We're happy tonight *

* Walking in a winter wonderland *

What the fuck is this guy doin'?

- Hey! - Champagne?

[ Doc ] Merry Christmas, Detectives.

For us? Yeah. Enjoy that.

You fellas have a good time, all right?

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Cristal.

* He sings a love song as we go along **

[ Man On TV ] The South Vietnamese troops called in air strikes...

on Communist positions inside the city.

Paying off Johnny Law, that's one thing.

Ain't no problem with that. I've been...

payin' off the police since I was 10 years old,

puttin' more of their kids through college than the National Merit Award.

Give me one of them round ones, yeah.

This is different though. These... Special Investigative Unit.

That's their problem. They think they special. Fuckin' crooks.

No code of ethics. What you think?

Looks great. Looks beautiful.

Good.

But the police, that's ain't the only somebody I'm worried about.

See, I'm seeing cars where I ain't never seen 'em before,

people I don't know. Yeah, me too.

[ Eva ] Ho, ho, ho.

[ Chuckles ] Aw.

Merry Christmas, Charlie. Thank you.

Mmm. I love you. I love you too.

Mm-hmm.

Here, take this. Mmm.

Quick toast and then I'll be off.

We're gonna have a great time.

That's right, chica. Mr. Lucas. Enjoy your evening.

It's all clear.

- [ Cheering ] - [ Nicky ] Who is that?

[ Doc ] It's your boy Nicky. See him?

[ Frank ] Yeah, I see him.

Just keep going.

Around back?

Hell, no. See, I ain't sneakin' in my own club.

Incredible.

Huh? Increíble.

Come on.

Hold on, hold on.

What?

I want to wait in the car.

Frank, I got it. I got it. I'll wait for this.

I got it. All right.

Get that yellow sauce, all right? Yellow sauce.

And the chicken. The kung pao chicken.

Can you turn the heater on?

Shit.

I'm gonna go get the keys.

Doc, give me the keys.

Here you go.

[ Engine Revving ]

Doc!

Get out.

You okay? Yeah.

Shit. Come on.

Come on, baby. You all right?

[ Whimpering ] Let's go.

Was it Nicky?

We'll go right now and fuckin' kill him whether it was him or not.

You say the word, Frankie.

We gotta do something, Frank.

We can't just sit here.

We're leaving.

All right. Everybody, get out.

[ Turner ] You all right, man? Y'all go on home.

It's Christmastime. Go and be with your families. I'm all right.

Go on. Y'all go ahead. Be with your kids.

Go ahead.

Where we gonna go, huh? Spain somewhere? China?

Come on. Sit down. Tell me where you wanna go.

Frank, we can go anywhere we want.

No, we can't. We can live anywhere, Frank.

And do what, run? Hide?

Frank Lucas don't run from nobody, baby.

We ain't going nowhere. We gonna stay right here. We gonna stay right here.

This is my home. This is where my business is,

my wife, my mother, my family, my country.

I ain't going nowhere.

I ain't running from nobody.

This is America.

And you ain't going nowhere either.

Huh?

[ Nixon On TV ] A cease-fire, internationally supervised,

will begin at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday,

January 27, Washington time.

[ Roberts ] Call you back.

Within 60 days from this Saturday--

Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing?

[ Trupo ] Richie.

Wow.

So, from what I hear it was the Corsican mob took a shot at Frank.

You know, French Connection, Fernando Rey,

the exporters that Frank has put out of business.

Look, I can take care of him in New York.

I just don't wanna have to worry that every time he drives across the bridge to Jersey,

someone's gonna take another shot at him.

Richie, you and I gotta start working together.

We need to step up our efforts.

Next time, their aim could be better.

We need to keep this cash cow alive.

What the fuck are you doing here?

Whoa.

Were you actually gonna arrest Frank Lucas?

What's the matter with you? What, you don't know?

No.

Everybody in New Jersey's crazy. Oh.

You know what we do here?

Cops arrest bad guys.

Before you get on that bridge again,

you should call me first,

just to make sure it's safe.

"I'm more enlightened than some of my friends.

I can guarantee you peace of mind."

That's what you told me, Dominic.

"I can... [ Bangs Table ]

guarantee you peace of mind."

I don't feel so peaceful.

Huh?

They tried to kill my wife!

Who was that? Huh?

Maybe it was one of your peoples.

I don't know yet.

You don't know. No.

You don't know.

I tell you what I know.

Maybe I should just put 500 guns out there on the street...

and just start shooting up some people just to make a point.

Frank, it was a junkie, right? It was a rival.

Some dumb-ass kid trying to make a name for himself.

Someone you forgot to pay off.

Someone you slighted without even realizing it.

Could be someone you put out of business.

For being so successful. Look at you. [ Chuckles ]

Success. It's got enemies, right?

Lots of enemies. So...

your success took a shot at you.

What are you gonna do now? How you gonna kill it? You gonna become unsuccessful?

Frank, we can be successful and have enemies, right?

We can be unsuccessful too.

You know, we can have friends.

That's a choice we make.

[ Man On TV ] The final evacuation of military and diplomatic personnel...

continued throughout the night...

as North Vietnamese troops marched on Saigon.

The imminent fall of the city has brought chaos...

and a growing sense of desperation--

[ Coins Clinking ]

[ Woman ] Operator.

Yeah, Bangkok-367, international.

One moment, please.

[ Phone Rings ]

[ Speaking Thai ]

Yeah. Nate.

Hey, Frank, what's up, babe?

What's going on over there? It's all over.

Yeah, I'm watching the news. What the hell's going on?

The game's over, Frank. Huh?

It's done. Everybody going home, baby. Give peace a chance.

Well, look, I'm not. Listen to me.

I want 2,000--

[ Quietly ] I want 2,000 keys in the air.

It's impossible, Frank.

All our resources are going home.

Look, I'm on my way over there.

Right now? Yeah.

Oh, come on--

[ Man Shouting ] [ Woman Screaming ]

Spearman, wake the fuck up, man.

What?

[ Woman Yelling ]

- Where's my shit, Caroline? - Don't hurt me, Jimmy!

[ Gunshot ] [ Screams ]

- Jesus. Police! - Police!

- [ Spearman ] Drop the gun, Jimmy! - [ Jones ] Drop the gun!

Let me see your hands. Jimmy, drop the fuckin' gun!

I'm not fuckin' playing with you, Jimmy!

Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

I got your gun, and I got your prints.

You know what you got? You got attempted murder.

Fifteen fuckin' years.

Attempted murder's the same as Murder One. That's a grand jury.

Now, a grand jury could come back favorably.

It could be reduced to-- to manslaughter.

All right? Maybe even self-defense.

It all just depends on how we wanna deal with you.

You see where this is fuckin' going, Jimmy?

Let's say you beat it.

What do you think your cousin Frank is gonna think?

He is gonna know at some point in time...

we sat you down and we talked to you like this.

Then you go to court. You beat attempted murder?

What's he gonna think? Is he stupid?

Is your cousin Frank stupid?

[ Abruzzo ] Answer him!

No.

He's gonna assume that you talked.

But right now, Frank doesn't know.

You want Frank to read about this in the papers,

or do you just want to walk out of here?

No bail, no trial, no jail, just walk out of here today.

Your choice.

Opium plants are hearty enough...

to outlive any war.

They'll still be here long after the troops have gone.

What are you going to do for transportation...

when the last U.S. plane goes home?

I'll think of something.

You willsee me again, that's for sure.

It's not in my best interest to say this, Frank,

but quitting while you're ahead is not the same as quitting.

* Only the lonely *

* Know this feeling ain't right *

* There go my baby *

* There go my heart *

* They're gone forever *

* So far apart *

* But only the lonely *

* Know why *

[ Phone Rings ]

- Yeah. - Hey, go get him.

[ Rapping ] Whatever you wanna do, baby.

Give me a second. Right, man.

It's Frank? Yeah.

Yeah.

Newark.

Short term.

Parking lot three.

Short term, lot three.

Yeah, that's the Mustang we talkin' about, right?

Okay, right. What's the plate number?

K-A--

K-A--

[ Frank ] 7-6-- [ Huey ] 7-6--

[ Frank ] Zero. [ Huey ] Zero. All right.

There's no short term lot three at Newark.

They got letters-- A, B, C, D.

I know. Maybe he means the time. 3:00.

[ Jones ] This isn't no Jersey license plate.

I mean, uh, nor New York, for that matter.

K-A-7-6-0.

Yep.

Kilo Alpha?

A plane tail number?

Kilo Alpha 7-6-0.

You check commercial planes.

You guys check the private planes.

Everything, from a little fuckin' Cessna...

to the biggest fuckin' whatever, jet, all right?

Check the military planes. Where you goin', Jimmy? You're not goin' anywhere.

Sit-- Sit down.

[ Bell Rings ]

Captain? [ Man ] Yeah.

Richie Roberts, Essex County.

I know you're expecting us.

Here's our warrant. We're looking on the plane.

[ Captain ] Wait, wait.

Scotty, stop all these soldiers. Check their bags.

Every one of them.

[ Sirens Wailing ]

No-knock warrant.

Go ahead. Start upstairs.

Where are they going? Step in, sweetie.

Ma'am, please sit down.

[ Mama ] What is this?

[ Roberts ] Whoa, whoa, whoa. All this stops.

Hey, hey, hey, nothin' leaves this area, all right?

Slow down with this.

All right, stop these trucks. Everything off the walls.

Just pull it all down. Damn thing's a monster, Rich.

What is this? Nothin' leaves this area till we've checked it.

All right, Captain? Nothin'. We gotta take the plane down.

We gotta look at the trucks. Every man here gets searched.

Read the warrant, sir.

Your husband's illustrious career is over.

Now the feds are gonna come in. They're gonna take everything.

I mean, they're gonna take it all.

But not before I get my gratuity.

So where's the money? What are you talking about? What money?

What am I talking about? What money?

The getaway money that Frank and every other gangster keeps in his house.

If you leave now, there's a chance Frank might not kill you.

D-- D-- You-- Shut up! Sit down!

Sit down!

[ Man On TV ] Defense today announced the planned evacuation...

of all remaining U.S. combat forces from Vietnam,

news that comes too late for some,

as here on a solemn tarmac at Dover Air Force Base,

this C-130, loaded down with its sorrowful cargo--

a cargo of America's bravest and best...

en route to their final resting places.

You guys, take this coffin down.

Open it. I'm not doin' that.

[ Detective ] Hey, shh, shh.

Hey, hey. Shh.

Great fuckin' dog, huh?

Hey, hey.

You stop this. Right now.

My warrant gives me permission to examine this plane.

The plane and its cargo.

Well, you don't have mypermission.

I don't need it, Captain.

Shh. Hey, hey, easy.

Easy, boy. Come on, hey.

Frank, move out of the way.

[ Barking Continues ]

[ Dog Whimpers ]

[ Frank ] Damn.

[ Man ] That's enough!

Stay with these coffins. Do not let them out of your sight.

Got it. Okay.

[ Trupo ] Hey, help me out with this.

That was a military transport plane.

If there was heroin on board,

then someone in the military would have to be involved,

which means that even as it fights a war...

that's claimed 50,000 American lives,

the military is smuggling narcotics.

That is how this event today will be interpreted--

that someone employed by this office...

believes that the United States Army...

is in the drug trafficking business...

and is trying to prove it by desecrating the remains...

of young men who have given their lives...

in the defense of democracy!

- There is dope on that plane. - Shut the fuck up.

Is it any wonder, then, that because of your actions,

the entire federal narcotics program...

is now in jeopardy of being dismantled...

as completely and enthusiastically as that fuckin' transport plane?

That is what you've accomplished, Mr. Roberts, single-handedly.

I had good information that the target of my investigation...

was bringing dope in on that plane.

And that target is? Frank Lucas.

- Who? - His name's Frank Lucas.

Who's Frank Lucas? Who does he work for? Which family?

He's not Italian. He's black.

I-Is that supposed to be some kind of a joke?

You're this close to the end of your career in law enforcement,

you're making fuckin' jokes?

My investigation indicates...

that Frank Lucas is above the Mafia in the dope business.

My investigations also indicate...

that Frank Lucas buys direct from a source in Southeast Asia.

He cuts out the middlemen,

and he uses U.S. military planes and personnel...

to transport pure, number-four heroin into the United States,

and he's been doin' so on a regular basis since 1969.

I have cases against every member of Frank's organization.

Frank's organization? No fuckin' nigger has ever accomplished...

what the America Mafia hasn't in 100 years.

And you would know that how? Why?

'Cause your head is stuck up your fuckin' ass?

Lou, do me a favor. Get this fuckin' kike out of here.

- Kike? - Richie, no, no.

Hey, Richie.

Make it stick.

Spearman's with the coffins. They're about a quarter mile away.

Doctor.

What?

Fuckin' Trupo came by the house, man. It was bad.

Frankie. Uh, I need to speak with you a minute.

Please, sit down. Listen. I got to go.

Uh, will you please come back a little later?

Thank you.

Ma, I gotta go, all right? Just a few words--

Listen to me. I got--

Please, sit down. Just a few words.

I been thinkin' about some things.

You know, if you'd have been a preacher,

your brothers would have been preachers. Right.

If you'd have been a soldier, they'd be soldiers. You know that.

I mean, they all came here because of you.

I mean, you called, and they came runnin'.

Right. That's because they-they-they look up to you.

Uh, they always expect you to know what's best.

But even they know you don't shoot cops.

Even I know that.

Eva knows it. All right, Ma.

The only one who doesn't seem to know is you.

All right, Ma. I got to go.

I ain't gonna shoot nobody. I promise you.

I never asked you where all this came from,

because I didn't wanna hear you lie to me.

I didn't want you to worry about it. Don't lie to me!

[ Sobs ]

Don't do that.

Do you want to--

Do you wanna make things so bad for your family that they'll leave you?

No. Because they will.

No, I understand. She will leave you.

All right, Mama.

I'llleave you.

Sign off on that one.

[ Jones ] We got coffins on the move, Richie.

We want the transport coffins, not the ceremonial ones.

Who are these guys?

[ Roberts ] What does it say?

[ Jones ] Bayonne Custodial Services?

[ Spearman ] Bayonne-- Bayonne Cleaning Services?

[ Abruzzo ] Bayonne? What the fuck is that?

[ Spearman ] Give me the camera, Al.

[ Roberts ] Bingo.

[ Jones ] Holy shit. That's the baseball kid.

Oh, yeah. That's Stevie Lucas.

So what you wanna do, Richie, follow the trucks?

No, I wanna stay here with the Lucas kid.

We'll follow that van.

Hey, you guys better eat up.

Gonna have a long night.

[ Man Chattering ]

[ Man #2 ] We got one on your end, right?

[ Steve ] Come on. More precious than gold, man.

This is more precious than gold.

[ Huey ] We got a couple more. Let's go. Stack that up.

Take it. Take it.

[ Melvin ] Give me a second, man. Give me a second.

Hey, yo, we got four caskets left, man.

Let's make some fuckin' money in here.

[ Abruzzo ] What are they loadin' in there?

[ Spearman ] What the fuck are they loadin' in there?

- [ Abruzzo ] That's the dope. - [ Spearman ] That's gotta be the dope.

That's gotta be.

[ Roberts ] Hey, let's go.

Let's move.

Lou, it's Richie.

Got everybody in place. Everybody.

- [ Lou ] Are you sure this is it? - I'm positive, man, okay?

All right? They're cuttin' and baggin'...

in the south tower of the Stephen Crane Projects right now.

Hold the door. [ Lou ] Are you sure this is it?

- You're positive? - I'm positive, Lou. I am positive, okay?

Everything is ready to go.

All the guys are ready to go. Just push the button.

Give me the warrant, okay?

Okay, you got it.

[ Elevator Dings ]

[ Women Chattering, Laughing ]

[ Church Bells Ringing ] [ Congregation ] * O Lord, my God *

* When I, in awesome wonder *

* Consider all *

* The world thy hands have made *

* I see the stars *

* I hear the rolling thunder *

* Thy power throughout *

* The universe displayed **

Got the warrant. All right.

Let's go!

Move. Move.

[ Baby Cries ] [ Elevator Dings ]

Hi, ma'am. What's your name?

What's goin' on here?

[ Elevator Dings ]

Get down. Get down, motherfucker. Ah, shit.

Go. Let's go, Al.

This way. Come on.

Come on. Move it, move it.

[ Dog Barking ] [ Chattering ]

All set.

Roger.

Get ready.

[ Man ] There you go.

[ Boy Laughs ]

Come on.

At target.

Spearman, stand by.

I got civilians on the target floor.

[ Boy ] What? Oh!

[ Woman ] Hey, Tim.

[ Man ] Girl, why don't you get some clothes on?

What you doin' out here lookin' like that?

[ Woman ] Just for you. [ Man Laughs ]

What's happenin', sister? How y'all doin'?

Where you goin'? Where you goin'?

[ Boy Laughs ] Come on.

- I'll get it. - [ Grunts ]

- Where's Tim? - Quiet, kid.

I got some sandwiches for you boys, man.

Man, where's Tim?

Yo, man, Tim always playin' around.

Hey, man, you got some Blue Magic, baby?

Fuckin' junkie.

Yo, handle that.

[ Jones ] Man, I'm sick. Come on. I got money, man.

You know me, baby.

Come on. Come on, now. I need that Blue Magic.

Man, it's me, Boogaloo, baby.

Man, you know I got you. I got money, baby.

- And one, two, three. - Fuckin' junkie.

[ Grunts ]

Police!

Police! Drop it!

Get down! Get down! Drop the gun.

- Don't do it! - Drop the gun!

Drop it!

Police! Police!

Oh, you motherfucker!

[ Bullets Whizzing ]

- [ Roberts ] Police! - [ Screaming ] - Look out!

[ Grunts ]

[ Roberts ] Don't fuckin' move!

[ Abruzzo ] I wanna see your hands! All the hands!

[ Roberts ] Police!

[ Abruzzo ] Down! Down! Get down!

Stay the fuck down!

The mob will surrender you into my hands--

[ Gasps ]

[ Barking ]

[ Screams ]

- Hey, man, what's goin' on in here? - Hey!

What the hell?

[ Yells ]

Stay down! Down, motherfucker! Stay down!

Hands! Hands!

[ Sirens Wailing In Distance ]

Out at home, baby.

[ Congregation ] * Amazing grace *

* How sweet the sound *

Thank you. You're welcome.

Y'all wait right here.

* That saved a wretch *

* Like me *

* I once was lost *

[ Sirens Wailing ]

* But now am found *

Mother Lucas, would you please step back inside? I'm a police officer.

Please, Mother Lucas, step inside, please.

Respectfully, ma'am, please step inside. Thank you. Step inside.

* T'was grace *

- * That taught * - Stay back, folks.

- * My heart to fear * - Oh, man.

[ Chattering ]

[ Siren Chirps ] Yo, yo, yo. Pigs.

[ Officer ] NYPD. Everybody stand still.

[ Man ] Turner, go!

* How precious did *

* That grace appear *

* The hour *

* I first believed **

[ Roberts ] ...dead servicemen--

Our dead servicemen returning from defending our country in Vietnam.

Over there.

[ Applause ]

[ Gavel Pounding ]

[ Judge ] Ladies and gentlemen,

at this stage of the proceedings,

the counsels are ready for their opening statements.

For the prosecution,

Mr. Roberts will proceed with his opening statement first.

Mr. Roberts, are you ready to proceed?

Yes, Your Honor.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

[ Coughs ]

the State will show and you will hear...

that Frank Lucas is the most dangerous man...

walking the streets of our city.

All right, y'all get on out.

Let me, uh, talk to Mr. Richie alone.

Come on, come on. I pay y'all by the hour, not by the minute.

Thank you.

Uh, you ain't wearin' a wire, are you?

No.

Yeah, all right.

I was talking to my lawyers.

They said something to me. I can't believe it.

Did you really find a million dollars in the trunk of a car...

and then turn it in?

Did you do that? Yeah.

You did that for real, huh? My man. Good for you.

Shit. You know Johnny Law got it, though, right? Maybe.

Ain't no maybe about it, Mr. Richie.

You know he got it. You turned that money in, he took it,

and you ain't get nothing for it, did you?

Why you do that?

It was the right thing to do.

That's true. That's a good answer. "It was the right thing to do."

The question I have, the question I been askin' myself...

is, "Would you do it again?"

That's a lot of money. That's a long time ago.

Many car payments ago, many child support payments ago.

So I said to myself,

"the onliest way to find out is to find out."

[ Roberts ] Bribery, extortion, murder,

racketeering.

[ Frank ] Give me an address.

I'll make sure the car's there.

I'll make sure that money's in that trunk.

No, thanks.

You sure?

Come on, now, Richie. What, you think that impresses me?

Huh? You think that you better than them?

You ain't no better than none of them other cops.

In fact, you the same as them. You arethem.

Let me ask you this. Do you really think that putting me behind bars...

is gonna change anything on them streets?

Them dope fiends is gonna shoot it. They gonna steal for it. They gonna die for it.

Putting me in or out ain't gonna change one thing.

And that's the way it is. That's just the way it is.

So what we got, Richie? We got me and you sittin' here.

We got that little snitch-ass driver from my brother.

You got a little bit of powder.

You gonna need more than that, Richie.

[ Roberts ] I got possession, supply, conspiracy,

bribing a law officer.

I got people who'll attest to seeing you kill in cold blood.

I got your offshore bank accounts,

your real estate, your businesses.

All bought with money from heroin.

I got hundreds of parents of dead kids.

Addicts who OD'ed on your product.

And that's my story for the jury. That's how I make it all stick.

This man murdered thousands of people,

and he did it from a penthouse, driving a Lincoln.

Aside from that, you got nothing to worry about.

That's pretty good, but that's why we go to court, isn't it, Richie?

'Cause I got witnesses too.

I got celebrities. I got sports figures.

I got Harlem, Richie.

I took care of Harlem, so Harlem's gonna take care of me.

You can believe that.

I got more than that, Frank. What you got?

I got a line of people wanting to testify against you...

that stretches out the door and around the block.

You damaged a lot of lives, Frank.

I got the Mazzano crime family.

Remember those boys? You put them out of business.

Got nothing to do with no Mazzanos. Mazzanos ain't got nothing to do with me.

They got everything to do with you. What they got?

Know why? Why?

Apart from the fact that they hate you personally,

they hate what you represent.

I don't represent nothing but Frank Lucas.

You sure? Black businessman like you?

You represent progress.

The kind of progress that's gonna see them lose a lot of money.

With you out of the way, everything can return to normal.

My man.

You know what normal is to me, Richie?

I ain't seen normal since I was six years old.

Normal is seeing the police ride up to my house,

dragging my little 12-year-old cousin out and tying him to a pole,

shoving a shotgun in his mouth so hard they bust his teeth.

Then they bust two shotgun shells in his head...

and knock his fuckin' head off.

That's what normal is to me.

I didn't give a fuck about no... police then.

I don't give a fuck about no police now.

Shit.

You know what? You can do whatever you wanna do.

It don't mean nothing to me for you to show up tomorrow morning...

with your head blown off, you understand what I'm saying?

Yeah, Frank. Get in line.

That one stretches around the block too.

All right.

What you wanna do?

You know what you gotta do.

What you want me to do, snitch?

I know you don't wanna give up no cops.

What you want? You want gangsters?

Pick one. Jew gangsters? Mick gangsters? Guineas?

They've been bleeding Harlem dry since they got off the boat, Richie.

I don't give a fuck about no crime figures. You can have 'em.

I'll take them too.

You'll ta-- You'll take them too?

No, you didn't.

You talkin' about police. You want police?

You want your own kind?

They're not my kind.

If they're in business with you, Frank, they ain't my kind.

They ain't my kind like the Italians are not yours.

All right?

All right.

What can you promise me, Richie?

I can promise you, you lie about one name,

you'll never get out of prison.

You lie about one dollar in one offshore account,

you'll never get out of prison.

Now, you can live life rich in jail...

the rest of your born days...

or be poor outside for some of them.

That's what I can promise you.

I want them cops, Richie.

That's what I want. I want them cops...

that took that money out my pockets.

Him too.

Right. Okay.

[ Abruzzo ] Hey, Freddie.

Hey, Spearman? Spearman.

So these guys are all connected up to Gwynn.

All right? Say again?

And this guy here is in uniform, spring '71?

[ Newscaster ] Four police officers were arrested today...

on charges of taking bribes from drug traffickers.

Well done, Jimmy.

[ Newscaster #2 ] The investigation into police corruption...

that has swept through New York's drug enforcement ranks...

broadened today with the arrest of 19 more officers.

You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent.

[ Newscaster #3 ] In what is being called...

the city's largest police corruption scandal,

32 more officers were indicted today in federal court on bribery charges.

[ Newscaster #4 ] These police officers will face stiff prison terms,

say federal prosecutors, if found guilty.

[ Newscaster #5 ] A report by federal investigators...

into New York's ever-widening police corruption scandal...

claims that more than half of the city's officers assigned to drug enforcement...

have engaged in some form of corruption.

[ Chattering ]

[ Newscaster #6 ] Allegations of widespread corruption...

within the elite narcotics squad, S.I.U.,

have led to the arrest of more New York City detectives today.

[ Newscaster #7 ] Convicted of extortion,

members of New York City's Special Investigations narcotics unit...

will face sentencing today in federal court.

MacNamara, Vendazzo,

Trupo.

Youare special.

It's good work, Frank.

You know, uh--

You want a drink or something?

Celebrate?

You got any holy water?

Check your property.

Sign right here.

[ Buzzer Sounds ]

[ Officer ] Good luck, Frank.

** [ Rap ]

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* And I judge everyone one by the one *

* Look Here come the judge *

* Watch it Here he come now *

Don't sentence me, Judge. I ain't did nothin' to nobody.

* I can only guess what's happenin' *

* Years ago he would've been the ship's captain *

* Gettin' me bruised on a cruise What I got to lose? *

* Lost all contact Got me layin' on my back *

* Rollin' in my own leftover *

* When I roll over, I roll over *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it *

* Can't truss it **